Cucumbers are a handy vegetable to have around the garden and the kitchen: They can be eaten in salads, pickled or with a dip. Cucumbers are very nutritious and provide sulfur, silicon, chlorine, potassium, sodium, magnesium, and fluorine. If you have digestion problems or are constipated, cucumbers can help relieve this. Cucumbers are even used as a beauty aid on the skin. With so many uses, it makes good sense to grow them in your own garden and save precious pennies at the supermarket.

There are many different types of cucumber to choose from: picklers, slicers, gherkins, white, bush cukes, seedless and all-female varieties--some varieties growing larger than others. Once you pick which type is right for you, growing your cucumbers will be fairly easy, especially if you know tricks to overcome some of the most common insect and disease problems. When you're ready to get started, pick a growing space that will give your "cukes" plenty of room to grow, or provide a trellis for the plant to climb up against. http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/cucumber.htm With the right tools and knowledge provided on this page, you will easily learn how to grow cucumbers.

Cucumbers do best if they are planted in the late spring or early summer; the slightest bit of frost can kill your plants. Cucumbers require a lot of sun. The ideal temperature to grow cucumbers is about 70 degrees F.http://www.cucumbergrowingtips.com/cucumbergrowingtips.html You will need plenty of space for the plant to grow, utilizing a trellis to allow the vines to grow "up" if you don't have a lot of space.

When it comes to the soil you plant in, make sure that the pH is approximately 6.5 (in other words you want your soil just a little acidic). You can test the pH of the soil using a test kit available at your local garden store or nursery. The soil also needs to be draining well. To improve the quality of the soil you can always add organic compost and mulch. http://www.cucumbergrowingtips.com/cucumbergrowingtips.html If you plant your seeds in poor soil, your results will be disappointing.

Growing cucumbers doesn't need to be difficult as long as you follow the required steps. You will need the following items:

• Seeds
• Organic compost
• Mulch
• Gardening tools
• Water
• Fertilizer
• Container

You can start your cucumber seeds off indoors and then transplant them once they sprout. Or you can start them off outdoors immediately.

1. Plant seeds about 1/2 and inch to an inch deep in a container that drains well, like the plastic bottom of a bottle that you made holes into. If you plant seeds directly in the garden, there is no need for a container--just make sure to plant them about 12 inches apart in a row.
2. Depending on the soil temperature they will germinate in 3-10 days (the higher the temperature, the faster the seeds will sprout).
3. The seeds grown indoors can be transplanted to the garden when they have 2-4 leaves. Plant them 12 inches apart in a row. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/cucumber1.html
4. Water the cucumber plants each week and make sure to weed regularly. http://www.gardeningpatch.com/vegetable/growing-cucumbers.aspx
5. Provide plenty of fertilizer so that the plants can grow well
6. 50-60 days after planting the cucumbers should be ready to be harvested. They should be dark green in color. Harvest them by twisting them off the plant or cut them off the plant right above the tip of the cucumber. http://www.gardeningpatch.com/vegetable/growing-cucumbers.aspx